A Week with the Ross'
by Banana Belle
Summary: This chronicles a week with Ross family in the future. Completed
1. Monday

Part 1: Monday  
  
"I am so nervous," Tess told her mother.   
  
"Tess, I'm sure you will make the team, and if you don't there is always next year," Carol explained.  
  
"Yeah, Tess, it isn't like all the girls in school want to be cheerleaders," Kate remarked. "Only your friends."  
  
"You're just jealous," Tess replied.  
  
"Oh yes, I wish I to had enough talent to stand up in front of the parents at an eighth grade basketball game," Kate said sarcastically.   
  
"Your friend Hannah tried out. If you make fun of me, you are making fun of her too," Tess responded.   
  
"Hannah's mother made her try out. Her mom thinks it will make her a better gymnast," Kate stated.   
  
"Hannah was the best one at try-outs," Tess informed her.  
  
"That does not mean she wants to be a cheerleader," Kate snapped back.   
  
"Are you ready to go?" Doug asked the twins as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"I am, but I don't believe Tess has barfed up her breakfast yet. She'll be a few minutes," Kate answered.  
  
"Kate, enough. One more thing before you leave, and you can forget having any friends over," Carol warned her.  
  
Kate ate one last bite of cereal before grabbing her backpack and walking out to Doug's car.  
  
"What was that about you throwing up your food?" Doug asked Tess.  
  
"Kate is making stuff up. I didn't even eat breakfast today," Tess told him.  
  
"That isn't any better, kiddo. Grab a piece of fruit to eat on the way," he said looking at his watch. "Kate will be honking the horn any minute."  
  
"Beep, beep," echoed in from the garage.   
  
"Good luck," Carol told Tess giving her a hug. "Oh," she said turning to Doug, "remember you are taking Meg to the dentist today. Her appointment is at one o'clock."  
  
"Already have it taken care of, I'm leaving work at twelve," he explained.  
  
"Beep, beep, beep, beep," Kate was honking the horn again.  
  
"Bye," he said giving Carol a quick kiss before leaving.  
  
When Doug opened the driver's side door, Kate was examining her nose in the mirror.  
  
"I would look good with a nose ring," she stated.  
  
"No, you wouldn't," he told her flatly.  
  
"I didn't say is was going to get one or even that I wanted one. I just said I would look good with one," Kate said slouching back into her seat.   
  
Doug drove the rest of the way to Harper's Hollow Middle School in a silent car. Tess was finishing her math homework in the backseat, and Kate was staring gazing out the window. He pulled into the drop off area before he broke the silence.  
  
"I'm picking you both up after school today," he emphasized the both because Kate tended to do as she pleased.  
  
"You're picking up Hannah too," Kate told him.  
  
"All right, Hannah too, but I might be late because I'm taking Meg to the dentist," he explained. "Wait in front of the school."  
  
"We will," Tess said jumping out of the car and hurrying toward one of her friends.  
  
"Bye," Kate said slamming the door.  
  
Doug made his way out of the parking lot and back onto the street. He drove until he reached Hollow-Creek Hospital. He parked is car in the staff parking area and walked inside the medium sized hospital. He showed his ID to security and took the elevator up to the pediatric floor. There was a mountain of charts for him to go over, and it was will into the next hour before he was able to see his patients.   
  
"How are you this morning, Andrew?" he asked a boy who looked about four years old.  
  
The boy stared at him.  
  
"I need to have you do all those things again today. Remember the test I gave you last time?" Doug questioned.  
  
Andrew nodded, and Doug extended his hand and asked Andrew to pull it. He asked Andrew to do several more tasks and concluded there still appeared to be no brain damage. Andrew had been repeatedly slammed into a wall by his stepfather, and he had two broken arms and bruises over most of his body as a result.   
  
"I'm leaving early today, but Dr. Mason will come and check on you this afternoon," Doug told Andrew.  
  
"Where are you going?" Andrew asked.  
  
"I am taking my daughter to the dentist," Doug explained marking a few things down on Andrew's chart.  
  
"How many kids do you have?" the boy asked.   
  
Doug was rather intrigued because the staff had hardly gotten two words out of Andrew in the week had been in the hospital.   
  
"I have three daughters," Doug told him.  
  
"What are there names?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Kate, Tess, and Meg. Kate and Tess are thirteen, and Meg is eight," Doug replied.  
  
"I have three sisters," Andrew told him.  
  
"Really?" Doug had treated two of the girls and released them to social services.   
  
"Yup, Lydia, Olivia, and Courtney. They are far away now," Andrew told him.  
  
"Maybe before you leave the hospital you can meet one of my daughters," Doug said.  
  
"Really?" Andrew questioned.  
  
"Maybe," Doug told him. "Andrew, I will see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye, Dr. Ross," Andrew said. The nurse who had enter had a hard time believing this was the same boy who had refused to say anything.   
  
Around 12:30 Doug picked Meg up from Beaver Creek Elementary School. She was talking up a storm before they had left the school.  
  
"I have a really big swim meet this weekend, and my coach said if I place well I might make the county team," Meg chattered on. "I want to be on the county team, but it is a lot of work."  
  
Doug sat in the waiting room at the dentist office reading a month old issue of People Weekly. He had just finished finding out which celebrities were obtaining divorces when Meg reappeared.   
  
"I don't have any cavities," she announced.  
  
Doug brushed her head with his hand before he walked over the receptionist. The receptionist gave him a receipt, and he and Meg walked out to the car. It had begun raining while they were inside the dentist office, and the parking lot was covered in water.   
  
"Are we going home?" Meg asked.  
  
"No, we have to pick your sisters up," Doug told her.  
  
"Then are we going home? Meg questioned.  
  
"Possibly, why do you have some place to be?" he asked. The questioned amused Doug, but Meg just stared at him. "I'm not sure yet," he said answering the original questioned.  
  
A few minutes later, Doug pulled up in front of Tess and Kate's school. Kate and her friend, Hannah were sitting under a cover sidewalk. Tess walked out the door of the school when she noticed Kate and Hannah walking toward the car.   
  
"Don't ask Tess about tryouts," Kate said quickly before Tess got into the car. Tess slammed the car door.  
  
Doug gave Meg a warning look, and she launched into conversation about what she had done in school today.  
  
Once they arrived home, Tess retreated to her room.   
  
"Meg, why don't you make some snacks," Doug suggested. "Kate, I need to talk with you."  
  
Hannah went to help Meg, and Doug pulled Kate aside.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.   
  
"Tess made the team, but Hannah said the coach said something to her after practice," Kate explained.  
  
"You don't know what she said?" he questioned.  
  
"No," Kate answered.  
  
"I'll talk to her," Doug said. "Keep Meg downstairs."  
  
Doug went upstairs to find Tess sitting in the hallway. She looked at Doug and said, "It was an accident. I wasn't supposed to make it."  
  
"How did that happen?" he asked sitting down next to her.  
  
"Did I ever tell you there is a girl in my grade named Tessa Rose? Well, there is and Tessa was supposed to make it. But somehow our names were mixed up. The coach says she isn't going to kick me off the team, but there can only be so many cheerleaders so Tessa should be on the team, but she isn't," Tess spilled out.  
  
"Wow, looks like you have something to think about," he commented.   
  
"What should I do?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know. Your going to have to decide if you want to be a cheerleader or if you want to make right a situation you had nothing to do with," Doug told her.  
  
"I need to think," she said.  
  
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.  
  
"No, I'm need to go for a run," Tess going to her room to put on her running shoes.  
  
Tess normally ran around the block three times, but this time she did not want to stop. Her legs ached, and her throat was as dry as a cotton ball. She stopped suddenly. She knew what she had to do. She had heard it since she could remember. She needed to tell the coach that Tessa should be on the team.  
  
Doug was sitting with Carol at the kitchen table. Tess hadn't realized how much time had passed.   
  
"I'm going to tell the coach to let Tessa be on the team," Tess told them.   
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Carol asked.  
  
"No, I know what I need to do," Tess said.  
  
Tess was almost out of the room when Carol said, "Tess, we're proud of you."  
  
"Thanks," Tess responded, and she felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But she still felt a pain inside.

Note from Banana Belle

This is the first chapter of a seven part series going through a week with the Ross family. Hence the title. Anyway let me know what you think, and I'll see what I can do about getting all the chapters up in a timely fashion.


	2. Tuesday

Part 2: Tuesday  
  
"What do you think?" Doug asked. He and Carol were in their room getting ready for the day.  
  
"I guess I would like to know how the girls feel about it before I make a decision," Carol told him. "Where did this come from anyway?"  
  
"It has just been floating around in the back of my mind for a few years. I think this is as good as time as any to start fostering kids again. Tess and Kate are older, and Meg doesn't need us much as she used to," he explained.   
  
"Talk to the girls," Carol told him before leaving the room.  
  
Across the hall, Tess pulled her hair back away form her face. She was standing in front of the mirror trying to make herself look more mature. Nothing seemed to work.   
  
"Tess, hurry up. We are going to be late, and I do not feel like serving detention this week," Kate told her sister.  
  
Tess pulled her hair back into a bun. It would have to do.  
  
"What is with your hair?" Kate asked.  
  
"I'm trying to look mature. Does it look that bad?" Tess questioned.  
  
"No, I was just wondering," Kate replied. "And Tess before I forget, I wanted to tell you that you aren't like all your stuck-up friends. You're doing the right thing."  
  
"Thanks," Tess told her. Having Kate admit Tess was doing the right thing gave her just the added confidence she needed to tell the cheerleading coach that Tessa Rose should have to spot on the cheer team.  
  
Doug dropped Tess and Kate off at school as usual although normally Kate was the last one out of the car. Today Tess looked pained. Doug gave her a reassuring smile as she closed the car door.   
  
Tess had hard time paying attention in class that day. She was in her own world. She tried to run over the conversation in her head. At the end of the day, she walked to the locker room. The coach was standing near the door. Tess felt as if she were walking the longest few feet of her live.   
  
"Miss Acker, I need to speak with you," Tess said trying to keep her voice from shaking.   
  
The coach led Tess into an empty athletic office.   
  
Tess took a deep breath before she began to say, "I want to tell you that I think Tessa should have my spot on the team."  
  
A strange look came across Miss Acker's face, "Tess, I don't know what to say. I thought you wanted to be on the team?" she asked.  
  
"I did. I mean I do, but not if I didn't deserve it," Tess said calmly.  
  
"You are showing an extreme amount of integrity by coming forward like this, and you are showing maturity beyond your age. However, I have spoken with the Athletic Director, and he has agreed to give us the funding to purchase another uniform," the coach explained.  
  
"What does that mean?" Tess asked.  
  
"You and Tessa are both on the team," Miss Acker replied.  
  
Tess grinned.  
  
"You better hurry. I make anyone who is late run extra laps," Miss Acker told her.  
  
Tess turned and hurried to change into practice clothes.  
  
Back at the Ross', Meg opened the medicine cabinet trying to find a band aid. The box was empty. "Kate, there aren't any," she yelled.  
  
"Go check in Mom and Dad's bathroom," Kate told her.  
  
Meg made her way up the stairs and into her parents bathroom. She opened the top cabinet and shoveled the contents around. She did the same with the second one. After a few minutes, Kate appeared and helped Meg in her search for a band-aid. Meg's hand landed on something small, and she pulled it out.  
  
"Kate, what is this?" Meg asked her sister.  
  
Kate grabbed the item and read the label. "It's a condom," Kate replied shoving it back in the cabinet.   
  
"What is it for?" Meg questioned.  
  
"Uhh," Kate stalled, "I'm not really sure ask Mom."  
  
Meg shrugged and made a mental note to ask Carol when she came home.  
  
"Meg, could you get the lettuce out of the refrigerator?" Carol asked as she was preparing dinner later that evening.   
  
Meg retrieved the lettuce and remembered her question from earlier. "What do you use a condom for?" she asked.  
  
"Well," Carol began, "I helps when a couple doesn't want to have a baby. Why are you asking this?"  
  
"Kate and I were trying to find a band-aid today, and we found one in your bathroom," Meg explained.  
  
"I see, and did you ever find the bandages?" Carol questioned.   
  
"No, there wasn't even an empty box in your bathroom," Meg replied.  
  
"That is strange. I just bought some last week at the store," Carol thought out loud.  
  
Kate walked into the room and grabbed a box of crackers.  
  
"Kate, dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes," Carol told her.  
  
"I'm hungry now," Kate answered.   
  
"Have some fruit," Carol said.  
  
Kate put the crackers back and took an orange out of the fruit bowl.  
  
"Kate, did you ever find out what happened to the bandages?" Carol asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Tess took them all. What is she using them for is beyond me," Kate stated.   
  
Kate went up to her room, and fifteen minutes later Tess came down to model her cheerleading uniform.   
  
"I thought you were going to talk to the coach?" Carol questioned.  
  
"I did, but they worked it out so Tessa and I can both be on the team," Tess explained.  
  
"Dad is home," Meg called from the other room.   
  
"Hello, my lovelies," Doug said as walked into the kitchen carrying Meg like an oversized baby.  
  
"You're going to throw your back out doing that," Carol warned.  
  
"Tempting, but I'm sure the hospital wouldn't let me go on disability," he replied. "Where is Kate?"  
  
"Upstairs, listening to her depressing moaning music," Tess told him.  
  
"Could you go get her? I have something I want to talk to all of you about," Doug said.  
  
Tess found Kate sitting on the bathroom counter. Kate was examining the new purple ends of her hair.  
  
"Mom is going to freak," Tess told her twin.  
  
"She'll get over it," Kate responded.  
  
"Nice thinking, but you may want to wear a hat or something," Tess stated. "Come here."   
  
Kate followed Tess into Tess' room. Tess dug into her closet and pulled out a black ski hat. She tucked Kate's hair under it.  
  
"Does it look like I'm trying to hide something?" Kate asked.  
  
"Just wear the hat all the time. They won't question it. They'll think you are trying out some new freak style or something," Tess said smiling.  
  
"Thanks," Kate told her as they walked downstairs.  
  
"Have a seat," Doug told them. He looked up and asked, "Kate, are you cold?"  
  
"No, not really," she answered.  
  
"What is with the hat?" he questioned.  
  
"I don't know. I like how it looks," Kate mumbled.  
  
"I like your hair. I want to see it," Carol said trying to take the hat off.  
  
"Mom, stop," Kate complained. She pulled the hat down over her ears.   
  
"All right, let's get this meeting started," Tess announced.   
  
"Well, do remember when we used to take in foster kids?" Doug asked the girls.  
  
"Like that one kid that didn't speak English?" Tess questioned. "Yeah, we remember."  
  
"What would do you think if we had another kid stay here?" Doug asked.  
  
"Mom, didn't work before. Who is going to take care of it?" Kate asked.  
  
"He or she can have the same babysitter as Meg," Carol replied.  
  
"And their going to be sharing a room with Meg too," Tess said under her breath.  
  
"All right," Carol said with slight irritation in her voice. "I know what you two think. Meg, do you have anything to say?"  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Meg asked. "Aren't we good enough for you?"  
  
"That isn't it at all. We have a wonderful family, and we could help a child," Carol explained.  
  
Meg thought for a moment and said, "I still don't really understand."  
  
"We're just thinking about. Nothing more," Doug told them. "How much longer until dinner?"  
  
"A few minutes," Carol replied.  
  
"Enough time for a tickle attack," he said before advancing on Meg.  
  
"Help, somebody!" Meg shrieked.   
  
"Sorry, shorty, you're on your own," Kate said.  
  
"I have to change," Tess told her sister.  
  
"Daddy, stop!" Meg begged between bouts of laughter.   
  
"All right," he said throwing up his hands. "Go wash your hands, and I'll call a truce."  
  
Meg ran down the hall to the bathroom.   
  
Kate sat at the table picking at the table clothes.   
  
"Doug, you need to be more careful about where you keep the prophylactics," Carol told him. "Kate and Meg came across one in our bathroom this afternoon."  
  
"What did you tell them?" Doug asked in a near whisper.   
  
"Well, Meg asked me about it, and I explained what it was for. I'm not sure about Kate," Carol said loud enough for Kate to hear.  
  
"I'm fine other than the emotional scares I am going to carry with me until I'm forty," Kate told them.  
  
"Oh, is that all?" Carol laughed as she said this.   
  
Note from Banana Belle   
  
Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I wasn't sure about this story, and your words gave me a little extra confidence. I normally write stories I want to read but are missing or uncommon in the fan fiction world. Thanks again, keep reading, and I'll keep writing. 


	3. Wednesday

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I wrote the story in parts so right now I am putting the pieces together and sprinkling on a few finishing touches. All I am going to say about the future chapters is, things may not be as they appear. I am really starting to love this story, and I hope it gives everyone a break from the usual ER stories. As always, keep reviewing. I love reading feedback.

* * *

Part 3: Wednesday   
  
"Kate," Carol said staring in horror at Kate's purple tipped hair.  
  
"You like?" Kate asked.  
  
"No, wash it out now," Carol told her.  
  
"It's not the kind you can washout," Kate replied.  
  
"Well, then I'm going to cut it because you aren't going to school like that," Carol said.  
  
"When Hell freezes over, you can cut my hair," Kate yelled before leaving the room.  
  
"What was that about?" Doug asked Kate as she walked out of the kitchen.  
  
"I dyed the ends of my hair, and Mom is being a psycho about it," Kate explained.  
  
"Are you trying to torture her?" Doug questioned.  
  
"No, I just wanted to try a new look," Kate told him.  
  
"I'll talk to her, but, Kate, take it slow. We aren't ready for any face piercing," he said.  
  
"Face piercing?" Kate commented before leaving Doug to try to calm Carol down.   
  
Later that day Carol walked the down the aisle of a supermarket. She stopped in front of the home pregnancy test kits. She could not believe she was even thinking about buying one. She had thought about taking one at work, but all the supplies had to be documented at the women's health clinic where she was employed.   
  
"Just put it in the cart, Carol," she told herself.   
  
She did quickly and continued with her shopping. Once in the car, she tucked the test away.  
  
Kate walked into the family room. Doug was sleeping through a baseball game, Carol had taken Meg to swim practice, and Tess was probably sucking face at Ryan's house. Kate had finished her homework and was extremely bored. An idea popped into her head. She picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed.   
  
"Hey, Courtney, this is Kate," Kate said into the phone. "Remember how you asked if I wanted to smoke weed with you last week?" she asked. "Great, you can come over right now. My mom is gone, and my dad is asleep."  
  
Kate hung up the phone and went upstairs to put on a sweatshirt. It had not been a particularly warm day, and the sun was setting. She walked out the front door and waited for Courtney on the porch.   
  
Across town, Ryan and Tess were sitting on the hammock in Ryan's backyard. They had been working on a science project, but the other members of their group had gone home hours ago.   
  
"When is your mom picking you up?" Ryan, Tess' boyfriend, asked her.  
  
"Sometime after 8 which is when Meg's swim practice gets over," Tess explained.   
  
"So we have a little time to ourselves," Ryan stated.   
  
"Yeah," Tess replied awkwardly.  
  
"Tess, have you ever made out with anyone?" Ryan asked.   
  
"Um," Tess staled. If she told the truth, Ryan might think she was a prude. If she lied, Ryan might think she was a slut. "Once or twice," she told him.  
  
"Yeah, me too," Ryan said a little too quickly.  
  
"Why did you ask?" Tess questioned.  
  
"I don't know. It is just some guys not any that I hang out with said you were well," he mumbled, "advanced."  
  
"Advanced?" she questioned.  
  
"You know like you have dated high school boys," Ryan explained.  
  
"Why would they say that?" Tess demanded.  
  
"You're popular and a cheerleader," Ryan answered.  
  
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," she told him.  
  
"That is why I asked because I didn't think it was true," he said.  
  
"I lied before about having made out with someone. I have never even been kissed by a boy," Tess admitted.  
  
"Neither have I mean not by a boy. Well, I haven't been kissed by a boy either, but you know what I mean," Ryan said becoming flustered.  
  
"Will you kiss me?" Tess asked.  
  
"Now?" he questioned.  
  
"Yeah, before my mom gets here," she told him.  
  
"Okay," Ryan said quietly.  
  
Tes grinned and looked into Ryan's eyes.   
  
"Uh Tess, am I supposed to keep my eyes open?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. I guess if you want to," she answered.   
  
Ryan leaned forward and planted a kiss on Tess' mouth.  
  
"How was it?" he asked as he pulled away quickly.  
  
"Nice," she replied.  
  
"Good, I thought you were going to tell me I did it wrong or something," Ryan said.  
  
"No, it was perfect," she told him.   
  
"Ryan!" his mother called, "Tess' ride is here."  
  
"See you tomorrow," Tess said.  
  
"Yeah, see ya," he told her.   
  
Tess ran around the side of the house to Carol's car.  
  
"Did you finish?" Carol asked.  
  
Tess looked confused.  
  
"The science project. Did you finish it?" Carol elaborated.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Tess answered.  
  
"What is wrong with you?" Meg asked. "You look like all sweaty."  
  
"No, I don't," Tess argued.  
  
"You were playing kissy-face with Ryan," Meg taunted.  
  
"Shut up," Tess told her younger sister.  
  
"See you were," Meg shouted.   
  
"Meg, that's enough," Carol told her.  
  
The rest of the ride was silent. Back in the Ross' kitchen, Carol asked, "Is something going on with you and Ryan?"  
  
"Yeah, we are sort of couple," Tess admitted.  
  
"When did this start?" Carol asked.  
  
"A few weeks ago," Tess answered.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Carol questioned.  
  
"I don't know. I thought you would tell Dad. Please don't tell him," Tess begged.  
  
"I shouldn't keep secrets from your father," Carol told her.  
  
"But you know Dad. He will overreact and embarrass me," Tess pleaded. "It is not even like we are a real couple we don't do anything except go to the movies or hang out with a bunch of people together."  
  
"I won't tell him," Carol told her daughter.  
  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Tess said kissing Carol on the cheek.  
  
Kate opened the front door and ran up the stairs.  
  
"Kate," Carol called.  
  
Kate stood at the top of the stairs looking down at her mother.  
  
"Where have you been?" Carol asked.  
  
"Just hanging out with Courtney," Kate replied nonchalantly.  
  
"Courtney?" Tess questioned. "Hasn't she failed like three grades or something. What she has to be about seventeen by now."  
  
"She is fifteen not that it's any of your business," Kate said. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"Good night," Carol told her.  
  
Tess walked up the stairs right into Kate's room.  
  
"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Kate demanded.  
  
"You're high aren't you?" Tess questioned.  
  
"No," Kate answered.  
  
"You are so. Everyone knows Courtney's brother is a drug dealer," Tess said.  
  
"Thanks for the newscast, but I can hangout with Courtney without smoking anything," Kate told her.  
  
"Whatever, stoner," Tess said leaving Kate's room.   
  
Downstairs Carol turned off the TV which caused Doug to wakeup.  
  
"Hey," she said sitting next to him and rubbing his arm.   
  
"How are things with you?" Doug asked.  
  
"I'm late," she told him.  
  
"Wow, I did not expect that one," he replied.  
  
"Yeah, neither did I," Carol said.  
  
"So are you?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know. I'm not sure if I am ready to know," she explained.  
  
Carol rested her head against Doug's chest, and they sat in silence. 


	4. Thursday

Part 4: Thursday  
  
"I made a doctor's appointment for three o'clock," Carol said as Doug walked out of the master bathroom.   
  
"What are you going to do?" Doug asked her.  
  
"I'm not sure. I really don't want to go through another pregnancy, but if I am, I'll have to suck it up and do it all over again. Except this time it will be a lot harder, and there are all the additional risks involved," she stated.   
  
"Carol, you know this might not be about being pregnant," he said gently. They both knew what this meant. If Carol wasn't pregnant, there was one likely explanation.   
  
"Can we talk about this later?" Carol asked.  
  
"Of course," he told her. "Just remember I'm here no matter what"   
  
Carol and Doug continued their morning routine, and a few minutes later the phone rang.   
  
Carol picked it up and listened without saying much more than "yes" and "I see".   
  
"You're kidding me," Carol said hanging up the phone.  
  
"Actually, I didn't say anything," Doug replied.   
  
"That was Marcy Evans from across the street. There is a power outage at Meg's school so classes are canceled," she told him.  
  
"I take it there is a problem," he said.  
  
"Yes, I have the doctor's appointment this afternoon, and I would rather not have Meg in tow," Carol snapped.   
  
"Just bring her by the hospital. I'm off at six. She can spend the afternoon with me," Doug offered.  
  
Outside their room, Kate was standing in the upstairs hall trying to recall the location of her left shoe.  
  
"Mom, have you seen my other brown shoe?" Kate asked.   
  
"Check the bathroom," Carol said from her room.   
  
Kate looked in the bathroom, but there was no sign of her shoe. "It isn't in here," Kate yelled.  
  
"Well, I don't know where it is," Carol told her with more than a little agitation in her voice.   
  
"It's okay. I'll just wear my combat boots," Kate said nearly whispering the last part.   
  
Kate went to her room and put on her boots. They completed her ensemble. She walked out of her room wearing a long sleeved black t-shirt and her plaid school uniform skirt. Except the skirt was from fifth grade when she attended St. Mary's School.   
  
"Ha, I don't have to go to school, and you do," Meg teased Kate.  
  
"Shut up," Kate said shoving her younger sister out of the way as she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.   
  
"Mom, Kate pushed me," Meg yelled.  
  
"Well, she might not have if you wouldn't have been teasing her," Carol told her.  
  
"No, messing around by the stairs," Doug told them as he stepped out of his bedroom.   
  
Meg stuck her tong out at Kate and bounced down the stairs. She walked around looking for Tess so she could gloat.   
  
Tess was curled up on the sofa watching TV in the family room.  
  
"Guess what?" Meg asked.  
  
"You don't have to go to school today," Tess answered.  
  
"Aw, it isn't any fun if I don't get to tell you," Meg said.  
  
"Sorry, I'm watching the local news, and they announced the closing," Tess explained. "Since you aren't doing anything go check and see if there are any Pop Tarts."  
  
Meg walked into the kitchen and opened cupboard where they were kept. "There are chocolate and blueberry," Meg yelled.   
  
"Bring me a blueberry," Tess told her.  
  
Meg pulled out a package of two. She decided she wanted one too. She handed Tess the Pop Tart and joined her on the sofa.   
  
"Tess, are you ready?" Doug called from the kitchen.  
  
"In a minute," she replied. She turned of the television stuffed the rest of the Pop Tart into her mouth and gathered her books.   
  
"What are you wearing?" Tess demanded upon seeing her twin sister.   
  
"Clothes," Kate responded.  
  
"You are such a freak. Is that your skirt from St. Mary's? Well, I guess you do get points for violating the dress code. That skirt is so short it almost looks good," Tess said.   
  
"I'm glad I meet your slut standards," Kate told her quietly.  
  
"WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME A SLUT?" Tess screamed.  
  
That got the entire family's attention. Kate stared at her sister with a mixture of shock and pity. Tess' canoe was sinking fast, and she wasn't even attempting to bail out the water.   
  
"We're going to be late," Kate finally said fumbling for the words.   
  
Later that afternoon, Meg sat at the nurse's station looking around. She loved going to visit her dad at work. There always seemed to be something going on at the hospital.   
  
"Have you been behaving yourself?" Doug asked from behind her.  
  
She swung the chair around to face him. Meg nodded her head and smiled.   
  
"Good, how would you like to go talk to someone?" he asked.  
  
"Who?" Meg questioned.  
  
"Andrew. He is a patient, and he hasn't had many visitors. So will you come?" Doug asked.  
  
"Okay," she said jumping out of the chair and following her father down a large hallway then a smaller one.   
  
Doug stopped in front of an open door he tapped on it and said, "Andrew, I brought Meg to see you."  
  
Doug stepped into the room, and Meg followed closely behind him.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" she whispered staring at the equipment surrounding Andrew's bed.  
  
"Nothing that we can't fix," Doug told her. "Why don't you two get acquainted, and I'll come check on you in a little bit."  
  
"Hi," Meg said shyly after her father left.   
  
"Hi," Andrew replied quietly.  
  
"How old are you?" Meg asked walking towards Andrew.   
  
"Four," he answered.  
  
"Do you like cartoons?" she questioned.  
  
"Yeah," he responded.  
  
"My favorite is Scooby Doo," Meg said.  
  
"I like Scooby," Andrew told her.  
  
"I wrote a story about Scooby's family at school. My teacher said it was good, and she wants me to enter it in the creative writing contest," Meg explained.  
  
"I'd like to hear it sometime," Andrew said.  
  
"I think I brought it with me. I'll be right back," Meg told her before hurrying out of the room.   
  
Back at the nurse's station she opened her bag and pulled out her story. She walked back to what she thought was Andrew's room. Except she was faced with two eyes full of a completely nude nurse and a medical student groping each other. Meg turned around and sprinted down the hall. A few paces down hall, she ran straight into Doug who had just stepped out of a room.   
  
"Hey, this isn't playground," he told her. He looked down at Meg noticing that something was different.   
  
She almost appeared to be trembling.  
  
"What's wrong?" Doug questioned with concern.  
  
Meg just stood there, but tears started to run down her face.   
  
"Come on we can go talk in private," he said leading Meg to his office.  
  
Once inside Meg was still silent.  
  
"What happened? Did Andrew do something?" he asked.  
  
Meg shook her head.  
  
"Sweetie, what is it?" he questioned. "Did you see something?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, at least we're starting to get somewhere," Doug thought. "Was it a patient?"  
  
Meg shook her head.  
  
"Can you give me a hint? I don't know what is going on," he requested.   
  
"I think I saw something that I shouldn't have. I thought it was Andrew's room, but it wasn't," Meg stammered. She stopped to take a breath. "There were these people, and I think they were having sex."  
  
"Where?" Doug asked.  
  
"That hall where you were a few rooms down from where I ran into you," she told him.  
  
"Stay here. I'll be back," he told her.  
  
Doug stormed out of his office and walked to the hall where Meg had encountered him. He knocked on door after door. In the first three, he had found everything in order, but when he opened door number four, he found what he was looking for.  
  
"Gonzalez, when you are finished up in here, I'd like a word with you," Doug told them.  
  
"What are you talking about Dr. Ross?" the young medical student asked.  
  
"As I said, I'd like to speak with you," Doug slammed the door and waited outside.  
  
A few minutes later, the nurse scampered out of the room rather embarrassed. She was not his concern she was not from the Pediatric Ward. Gonzalez opened the door and strutted towards Doug. Doug reentered the room with Gonzalez and closed the door.   
  
"You could not begin to understand how pissed I am right now," Doug told him. "Not only were you on my time. You were doing it on the Pediatric floor. There are kids everywhere. What in Hell were you thinking?" he demanded.  
  
"You know how it is. Laina wanted to fool around. The room was empty so it shouldn't be that big of a deal," Gonzalez defended himself.  
  
"No, this is a big deal. You can not do whatever you want with whoever you want in this hospital. Do you want to know how I knew you were in there? My eight year old daughter told me. She walked in on your little session," Doug told him.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't think…" Gonzalez started to say.  
  
"No, you didn't think. Go home. You are finished for today," Doug said before going back to talk with Meg.   
  
Across town, Carol sat in an exam room waiting for the results of her pregnancy test. She looked at the magazines sitting in the room. "Parenting" Carol read the first title. She wanted to throw up. The doctor returned, and Carol prepared herself for the news.   
  
"The test was negative," the doctor told Carol. "As nurse, I'm sure you realize you are beginning menopause. I don't want insult you with a lecture, but here are some pamphlets in case there is something you are unsure of."   
  
She nodded politely and exited the room. She walked out to the parking lot feeling confused. She was disappointed about something she had not wanted. She started her car and looked at the clock. It was just after four. She stopped off at a deli on the way home and picked up subs for dinner. She did not feel like cooking anything.

* * *

Explanation from Banana Belle  
  
I love it when people point out what I have missed, and I am glad to help clear my writing up when there is confusion. I really was planning on menopause, but I perceive Carol as the type who would believe she is too young for that. I didn't realize I had Doug saying they were actually having sex. I never intended to imply they were actually having intercourse. I only meant for Meg to believe that was what they were doing. Meg is a smart enough to draw her own conclusions about what was going on without "knowing what sex is". An eight year old attending any school especially a public school with two older siblings knows more than most adults want to believe. I hope I have cleared a few things up, and once again thanks for all for help everyone. 


	5. Friday

Thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to leave comments. I originally intended this story to be about Tess and Kate, and I did not do well in integrating the other characters. I looked over chapter four and realized there was a lot missing so I present the new revised chapter four along with chapter five. I explain things better (including an additional explanation) in the revised chapter four, and there are a few changes so you may want to skim it over. I'll share a little tidbit, this chapter actually contains parts of the first Ross story I wrote over a year ago put never posted. Thanks again, only two more to go.   
  
Part 5: Friday  
  
"Do either of you have any idea what I could get your mother for our anniversary?" Doug asked Tess and Kate.   
  
He was on his way to drop the girls of at school. He was trying to find the perfect anniversary gift for Carol. He knew Carol had picked out his gift months ago; she always did. Here he was the day before their anniversary trying to decide on a present. Asking Tess and Kate was his last resort.   
  
"You haven't gotten her anything yet?" Tess questioned in disbelief.   
  
"No, and I would appreciate your help," he told her.  
  
"It has to be something romantic," Tess said. "After all, it is your anniversary not just a birthday."  
  
"You never went on a honeymoon," Kate said softly from the backseat.  
  
"What?" Doug asked not hearing a bit of what she said.  
  
"You never went on a honeymoon. You could take her on one," Kate replied louder.   
  
Doug thought for a moment before saying, "That is brilliant. I'll stop of at a travel agency on the way to work."  
  
"Seriously, Kate, you scare me sometimes. I would have never thought of the that," Tess told her.  
  
"Probably because we never go on vacations," Kate responded.  
  
"Hey," Doug interjected.   
  
"Yeah, be fair. We went to Disneyland that one time when we were four," Tess said stressing the last four words.  
  
"I didn't think you liked being seen in public with us," he told them.  
  
"That only stands until you take us somewhere good," Tess explained.  
  
"Let me plan one trip at time," he said. "Considering Kate just saved me, I'll think about it."  
  
Kate gave a half smile and returned to her homework. As brilliant as she was, she hadn't manage to complete her history assignment.   
  
Less than fifteen minutes later, Doug stepped into a travel agency. He walked over to the shelves of brochures. He glanced down at his watch realizing that he was supposed to be at work in five minutes.   
  
"Is there something I could help you with, sir?" a young woman asked.  
  
"Sir," Doug thought that was something he could never get used to being called. "Actually," he said, "I am looking to plan a honeymoon."  
  
"When is the wedding? That is if you want to leave right after the wedding," she questioned.   
  
"There isn't a wedding. We're already married," he explained.  
  
"Oh, a second honeymoon. Some couples going on their second honeymoon choose the same location. My husband and I decided to go to a different destination," she said. "Where did you honeymoon?"  
  
"We didn't," Doug replied. He also didn't think the woman in front of him was old enough to have gone on a second honeymoon unless it was with a second husband.  
  
The woman stared at him briefly as if she was planning to ask another question but didn't know what to ask. "Did you have a location in mind?" she asked.  
  
"No, but I would prefer someplace warm," Doug answered. He looked at his watch again. "How late are you open?"  
  
"Eight until five Monday through Thursday and from eight to eight on Fridays," she said.  
  
"Do I need an appointment?" he asked.  
  
"No, but I would call ahead if you plan on coming in on Friday evening," she told him.  
  
"Listen, I'm already late for work. Could you give some brochures to look over, and I'll give you a call during my lunch break," Doug requested.  
  
"Of course, here is my business card." She walked over to the counter and pulled out a folder labeled Honeymoon Hotspots. "These are the most popular destinations, but there is a list inside of other recommendations," she explained.  
  
"Thank you," he said looking down at the business card, "Mindy."   
  
Later that morning, Carol stood in front of the sink in the staff bathroom. She was staring into the mirror, but the woman looking back at her was not who she wanted her to be. She had once dreamed of completing medical school. She only needed less than a year of classes to graduate. Just as she began her last year, She became pregnant with Meg, and had to put her plans on hold once again. She was the head nurse at a women's health clinic, and that should be enough for her. But it wasn't.  
  
"Carol, you're needed in room six," a woman said as she entered the bathroom. Carol acknowledged her and started to wash her hands again.  
  
Across town, Doug at in the staff lounge looking at a stack of travel brochures. He had made three piles: no way, Carol might like but he wasn't thrilled about, and maybe.   
  
"Couples therapy," he read out loud tossing another brochure in the no way pile.  
  
That afternoon, Kate sat on the floor of her room feverously writing in her journal. Suddenly the door opened and Tess appeared.   
  
"Can I borrow your black purse?" Tess asked.  
  
"No," Kate answered without looking up.  
  
"Why not?" Tess demanded.  
  
"I don't feel like letting you borrow it," Kate explained.  
  
"Whatever, I'm taking it anyway," Tess said.  
  
Tess walked over to her sister's closet and proceeded to take the purse. Kate stood up and ripped it out of her hand.   
  
"What is your problem?" Tess asked.  
  
"You," Kate replied. "Give me my purse and get out of my room."  
  
"No," Tess responded.  
  
Kate turned and punched Tess. Tess grabbed a hunk of Kate's hair and pulled her sister across into the hall. The fight continued in this fashion.  
  
Carol was preparing dinner in the kitchen when she heard very clearly, "I'm going to kill you," She took the pot of the burner and made her way upstairs. She tried to put herself between the girls but was unsuccessful. After a struggle, she managed to separate the pair.  
  
"What is going on?" Carol demanded.  
  
"Kate won't let me borrow her purse," Tess said.   
  
Carol looked at Tess as she spoke and said "Tess, go downstairs and put some ice on your eye."  
  
"Now?" Tess questioned.   
  
"Yes, now," Carol told her.   
  
Carol stepped out into the hall after Tess. Kate made her move. She slammed and locked her bedroom door. Kate looked around for something to place in front of the door. She cleared her desk and pulled in front of the door.   
  
At that moment, Doug pulled into the driveway. He parked his car and was starting to walk towards the house when a voice called, "Dad." He looked up to see his youngest daughter, Meg, swinging from the branch of a tree.  
  
"What are you doing up there, Meg?" Doug asked her.  
  
"Just hanging around. Get it? I'm hanging around," Meg said amusing herself.  
  
Meg pulled herself up so she was now sitting on the branch.   
  
"Come down from there, please," he requested.  
  
"All right," she said.   
  
Doug waited patiently as Meg made her way down the trunk. Once Meg was on the ground, he noticed she was not wearing a jacket.  
  
"Where is your coat?" he asked her.  
  
"I don't need one. It isn't cold," she told him.  
  
He put his hand to the bare skin of her arm.  
  
"Your arm feels like a Popsicle," Doug stated.  
  
Meg shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Inside," Doug told her.  
  
She followed him into the house where they found Tess sitting in a chair with an icepack against her eye. Doug looked through the mail without paying much attention to the conversation between the girls.  
  
"What happened to your face?" Meg asked.  
  
"Kate punched me," Tess answered.  
  
"Wow, can I see it?" Meg asked in amassment.   
  
Tess pulled the icepack away revealing a swollen black eye.  
  
"Eww, it looks gross," Meg commented.  
  
Doug looked up from the mail to see Meg poking at Tess's eye. He walked over and asked, "Can I have look?"  
  
Tess nodded.  
  
"You're going to have quite a shiner for a few days," he told her.  
  
"I hope I gave Kate one too," she mumbled.  
  
"Hey, none of that," he warned. "Where is your mom?"  
  
"Upstairs trying to get Kate to unlock her door," Tess explained.  
  
"I'll be back," he told Meg and Tess.   
  
Carol was leaning against the hallway wall.  
  
"Any luck?" he asked.  
  
"No, for all I know, she could be passed out on the floor. She hasn't said one thing since I've been up here," she informed him.  
  
Doug stepped closer to the door and said authoritatively, "Kate, open the door right now, or I will find a way to open the door."  
  
Kate pushed the desk out of the way and sat on her bed. The door open a few moments later, and Doug and Carol stood in the doorway.   
  
"Are you hurt?" Doug asked her.  
  
She shook her head no.  
  
"What is the matter than?" Carol questioned.  
  
Kate shrugged.  
  
"Answer your mother," Doug told her.  
  
"I don't know," Kate mumbled as she looked down at the carpet.  
  
"What happened between you and Tess?" Carol asked.  
  
"It was stupid," Kate admitted.  
  
"You are damn right it was stupid. Your sister has a black eye because of your little scuffle," Doug lectured.  
  
"Can you please leave?" Kate asked her parents.  
  
"No," Doug started to say, but Carol stopped him.   
  
"We'll let you know when dinner is ready," Carol said. She pulled on Doug's arm, and they left the room.  
  
Kate laid her head on her pillow and wept.   
  
Downstairs, Tess and Meg were watching television in the family room. Carol looked into the pot before placing it back on the stove. Doug began setting the table in the kitchen. The house had a dinning room, but they rarely used it.   
  
"Why did you let her off so easy?" Doug asked quietly so Tess and Meg would not over hear him.  
  
"Tess was involved too. I'm sure she isn't innocent," Carol explained.   
  
"You let them walk all over you, and they do not listen to anything you say" he told her.  
  
"I do not," she argued.  
  
"Really?" he questioned. "Meg was outside without a jacket on."   
  
"I didn't even know she was outside," Carol told him. "You try to get her to wear more than a T-shirt. You know what? You are just trying to start something."  
  
Meg stood in the kitchen waiting for her parents to finish. "When is dinner going to be ready?" she asked.  
  
"A few minutes. Why don't you go tell Kate?" Carol said.  
  
Meg skipped out of the room and up the stairs. She returned without Kate.  
  
"Kate is sleeping. Do you want me to wake her up?" Meg asked.  
  
"No, she can eat later," Carol told her youngest daughter.   
  
The four members of the Ross family seated themselves at the table. Doug began serving himself. Meg shot him a nasty look.  
  
"What?" he questioned.  
  
"We say grace before we eat," Meg told him.  
  
"All right," Doug said throwing up his hands in defeat.   
  
Meg recited a short prayer of thanks, and the meal commenced.  
  
They ate for awhile in silence. Tess finally said, "I was supposed to go to the movies tonight, but I don't think I'm going now."  
  
"Won't Ryan be sad?" Meg questioned.  
  
Tess kicked her sister under the table.  
  
"Who is Ryan?" Doug asked.  
  
"A friend," Tess answered quickly.  
  
Carol tried to hide her smile, but Doug noticed.  
  
"You know about Ryan?" he asked her.  
  
Carol nodded.   
  
"I am the only one who doesn't know about Ryan," Doug said. "Well before you and Ryan go anywhere, I need to meet him."  
  
"Dad, no. We never go out alone," Tess pleaded.  
  
"So you've been out several times?" Doug questioned.  
  
"Mom," Tess said looking at Carol for help.  
  
"Doug, stop," Carol told him.  
  
"Tess brought it up," he said.  
  
"No, Meg started talking about Ryan," Tess corrected him and gave Meg another kick.   
  
"I would still like to meet this Ryan," Doug told her.  
  
Tess stabbed her fork into her salad and did not look up.   
  
"Dad, are you going to my swim meet tomorrow?" Meg asked.  
  
"What time is it?" he asked.  
  
"Noon," Carol said knowing Meg had no idea what time the meet was.  
  
"I don't have to work tomorrow so there should be no problem," he told her.  
  
"Good," Meg said before she went back to her dinner.  
  
"Speaking of tomorrow," Carol said. "I made dinner reservations at Rosette's."  
  
"I thought we were going to that charity dinner for the health clinic," Doug said.  
  
"We are. I just wanted us to be alone for at least part of the evening," she explained.  
  
"Rosette's sounds wonderful," he told her.  
  
Later that night, Doug entered the master bedroom.  
  
"Could you make sure the girls are in bed?" Carol asked him.   
  
He saluted and did an about-face. His first stop was Tess's room. He heard talking and knocked on the door. She opened it with the phone pressed to her ear.   
  
"Bed," he mouthed to her.  
  
She waited until the person on the other finished speaking before saying, "Lizzie, I have to go my father is doing a bed check."  
  
"Why does it matter if I'm in bed?" Tess asked.  
  
"I need to make sure my babies have enough sleep," he told her.  
  
"I'm not a baby, and it is Friday night," Tess whined. "This isn't fair."  
  
"Well, it is good you learn life is not fair while you are young," he explained. "Goodnight, Tess." he said turning off her light.   
  
"Night," Tess said as she climbed into her bed.  
  
Doug closed the door partway, and Tess waited until he was down the hall before she hit redial. Lizzie had a cell phone so it didn't matter what time Tess called.   
  
Meg and Kate were both asleep so Doug walked back to his room. He could hear Tess whispering on phone, and he smiled to himself.   
  
"Everything all right, private?" Carol asked him.  
  
"Twin one is still asleep, the munchkin is sleeping, and twin two thinks I don't know she is still talking to Lizzie on the phone," Doug said from his attention position.  
  
"At ease," Carol said rolling her eyes. After all these years, Doug could still be too much for her. 


	6. Saturday

Part 6: Saturday

"Kate, Tess, we are leaving in an hour with or without you," Carol yelled from the foot of the staircase.  
  
Meg passed by Carol wearing her swimsuit.   
  
"You need to find something to wear over top of that," Carol told her.  
  
"Why?" Meg questioned.  
  
"It's October," Carol explained.  
  
"It's October," Meg said mocking her mother. However, she went to her room to put on sweatpants and a t-shirt.  
  
Tess rolled out of bed and dressed quickly. She was downstairs minutes after Carol woken her.   
  
Walking into the kitchen, Doug found Tess sitting on counter eating a piece of toast.  
  
"We have chairs for a reason," he commented as he sat down at the table to read the newspaper.  
  
Tess rolled her eyes and finished the last bite of toast. "Quit looking at me," she told him.  
  
"Sorry," he said going back to the paper.   
  
"How long do black eyes last?" Tess asked walking closer to the table.   
  
"Depends," he answered.  
  
"How long is mine going to last?" she rephrased the question.  
  
"I'd say about a week," he said looking up at her.  
  
Tess glared at Kate as she walked into the kitchen and headed to the refrigerator.  
  
"What?" Kate asked her.  
  
"See she doesn't even care," Tess complained to Doug.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kate pouring herself a glass of orange juice.  
  
"Kate, you gave your sister a black yesterday. You don't remember doing that?" he questioned.  
  
Kate looked at Tess and then back at Doug and shook her head.   
  
"Kate, will you go get dressed please," Doug told her.  
  
"Why? You are freaking me out," Kate said with a shaky voice.  
  
"Go change," he said.   
  
Kate walked out of the room in near tears.  
  
"What is going on?" Tess asked after Kate was upstairs.  
  
"When you were fighting did Kate hit her head on anything?" he questioned.  
  
"I don't remember," Tess told him.   
  
"Please try to remember," he stated before going to talk to Carol.  
  
"Are you sure?" Carol questioned him.   
  
"If she was lying, she better get an Oscar because she was really confused," Doug explained. "Tess is trying to remember if she hit her head on anything."  
  
"Well, she must have if she blacked out," Carol said getting out of bed and going to the closet.   
  
"Dad," Tess called from the hallway.  
  
Doug stepped out into the hall and asked, "Did you remember anything?"  
  
"No, Kate was lying," Tess told him.  
  
"How do you know that?" he inquired.  
  
"Well, it could have been that she was laughing hysterically in her room or when she said that she did not think you were going to fall for it," she explained.  
  
"Excuse me," Doug said as his made his way to Kate's room. He did not even bother to knock. "Did you think you were being funny?" he demanded.  
  
"No," Kate said rather meekly.  
  
Doug continued to yell, and Kate zoned out. She snapped back when Doug said, "You are grounded for a week. If I ever find out you lied to me again there will be hell to pay." With that, Doug left Kate alone in her room.  
  
"How was the gift basket?" Carol asked Doug as he came into their bedroom still fuming.   
  
Doug gave her a puzzled looked.  
  
"The gift basket you received for presenting the Oscar," she elaborated.  
  
"I'm not amused," he told her.  
  
"What is bothering you so much?" Carol asked.  
  
"Kate told a blatant lie to me," Doug answered.  
  
"They have been lying to me for years," she said sympathetically.  
  
"To you, but I'm the cool one. Not just Kate, Tess too. She did not want me to find out she had a boyfriend," he complained.  
  
"They're teenagers, Doug," Carol replied. "You still have Meg too be your perfect little girl for a few more years yet, and Tess and Kate will come around. Now is the part where we get to see if we influenced the girls in a positive way."  
  
"Or we get to bail them out of jail," Doug commented.   
  
"Stop," Carol told him. "We need to leave for the swim meet." Carol opened the door and almost ran into Meg.   
  
"Kate, it's time to go," Carol called.  
  
She waited a moment and went to Kate's door after there was no response. She knocked quietly before opening the door.  
  
Carol saw Kate tucking something under her pillow.  
  
"What was that?" Carol questioned.  
  
"My journal," Kate said quickly.   
  
"Are you ready?" Carol questioned.  
  
"I'm not going," Kate answered.  
  
"You're going," Doug said from the hall.   
  
Kate rolled her eyes and followed her parents downstairs.  
  
They left for the swim meet. At the pool, Carol led Doug, Tess, and Kate to an empty section of the bleachers. They watched the other races, and soon it was time for Meg's race.  
  
Meg had a bad start but managed to keep up with the leader. On the last lap she pulled ahead for a easy win.   
  
"And she was worried," Tess commented.  
  
"I'm going to go meet Meg in the locker room," Carol told them.  
  
"I think we'll just wait out in the car," Doug replied.  
  
Near the door, Kate turned away.  
  
"Where are you going?" Doug asked her.  
  
"I have to use the restroom," Kate snapped. "Is that okay with you?"   
  
"Do you want us to wait?" he questioned.  
  
"No, go on ahead I'll meet you at the car," Kate told him.   
  
Carol and Meg were in the parking lot in less than ten minutes.   
  
"That was quick. I figured there would be a celebration," Doug commented.  
  
"There is, but I can't go," Meg pouted.  
  
"Why not?" he questioned.   
  
"Mom said you were going out tonight so I can't go to the party," Meg explained.  
  
"Where is Kate?" Carol asked noticing her absence.  
  
"I'll go find her," Tess said. They had been at the pool for nearly three hours Tess was more than anxious to get home.   
  
Later that Afternoon, Doug and Carol were getting ready for their anniversary dinner.   
  
"Nice," Carol told her husband as he stepped out of the walk in closet wearing plaid pants and a rather loud tie.   
  
"What?" he questioned.  
  
"Put on the tux," Carol said as she rifled through her jewelry box.  
  
"I knew I could get a reaction out of you," he told her as went back to the closet to change.  
  
"Mom," Meg called from the hallway. "Grace is on the phone."  
  
Carol looked over to the nightstand wondering why the telephone in the bedroom had not rung. She knew why immediately; the phone was missing from base. Tess had taken the phone and not returned it. Carol opened the door and took the cordless phone from Meg. Meg followed her mother back into the bedroom and sat on the bed.   
  
"No, Grace, you should stay with your mother," Carol said into the phone. Carol said goodbye and sat the phone down.  
  
"Is Grace not coming to baby-sit us?" Meg asked.   
  
"No, Grace's mother is sick again," Carol told her daughter.  
  
"Who is going to baby-sit us now?" Meg asked as Doug returned from the closet wearing a tuxedo.   
  
"I don't know. Doug, I need to finish getting ready so you can call someone to watch the girls?" Carol questioned.  
  
"Who should I call first?" he asked as he pulled an address book out of the nightstand.  
  
"Danielle Wheaton, she lives the closest," Carol instructed. "After that just make your way down the list."  
  
Carol went into the master bathroom to put her makeup on. Meg sat next to Doug as he made call after call. After a few minutes, she was bored and walked down the hall to her sister's room.  
  
"Tess, they can't find a baby-sitter," Meg told her sister.  
  
"I don't care. Kate and I are old enough to stay by ourselves," Tess told her. "Come on." Tess pulled Meg by the arm into their parents bedroom.   
  
Doug looked up at them and said, "I don't think your mom and I are going out tonight."  
  
"You have to; it's your anniversary. Why can't we stay home by ourselves?" Tess asked.  
  
"I don't know about that," he stated.  
  
"Why not? We stay home alone all the time during the day," Tess explained.   
  
"I'll talk to your mom. You two go wait somewhere else," Doug told them.  
  
Doug found them a few minutes later and said, "Here is the deal. No guests. No starting fires. And definitely no fun."  
  
"Dad," Meg groaned.  
  
"Sorry, just don't do anything stupid. Your mother isn't crazy about the idea, but we already promised we attend the benefit," he told them.  
  
"And it is your anniversary," Tess stated.  
  
"Yes, that too," he agreed.   
  
"Can we order pizza?" Tess asked.  
  
"If you order it now, I want to be here before we leave," Doug said.  
  
Tess rolled her eyes but didn't mention that the pizza guy wasn't going to do anything to them if they were home alone.   
  
A half hour later, Tess and Meg were eating their second pieces of pizza in the kitchen. Carol was writing telephone numbers and emergency instructions on a notepad.   
  
"Inform Kate of our departure so she'll come and eat something," Doug told Tess.  
  
"Okay," Tess mumbled between bites.   
  
"Carol, we are going to be late for our reservation. The girls will be fine. They will call my cell if they need anything," he said. "Won't you."  
  
Tess and Meg nodded.   
  
"All right, behave," Carol told them before picking up her purse.  
  
"Bye, mommy," Meg said jumping up to give her a hug.  
  
"Careful with the grease," Carol warned.  
  
Doug kissed Meg's forehead, and Carol and Doug left for a private dinner and a charity event. At the Rosette's, they were escorted to a quiet table in the back of the restaurant. Doug ordered a bottle of champagne, and they were left alone at their table.   
  
"I know you wanted to wait until tonight to exchange gifts, but I want to give this to you now," Doug told her pulling an envelope out of his pocket.   
  
"What is this?" she questioned.  
  
"Just open it," he said.  
  
She ripped open the envelope and examined the documents in contained.   
  
"French Polynesia?" Carol asked, "What is about?"  
  
"Next month you and I are going on our honeymoon," he explained.  
  
"Next month. Where are the girls going to stay? And I do I have a job. I can't just take off whenever I feel like it," she protested.  
  
"If you will check your flight schedules, you will notice that five people are flying to Chicago on Friday. But only two are continuing on with the rest of the trip. I called your mother, and she was more than delighted to have the girls stay with her for the week. We are dropping them off on our way there and picking them up on the way back. As for your job, I arranged for you to have the time off," Doug told her.  
  
"I don't know what to say. This is absolutely the perfect present," Carol said, and her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"You don't have to say anything," he replied reaching across the table to take her hand.

* * *

Thank you for all the reviews you guys are great. I'm saying Carol is early to mid-forties, but I honestly don't know how old she should really be. I am not going to make this story any longer than the seven days, but I am considering writing a longer prequel or sequel. If anyone has any ideas for the new story drop me a review. The sooner I can get a few chapters together, the soon I will post a new story.   
  
B. Belle


	7. Sunday

Part 7: Sunday  
  
Carol Hathaway-Ross awoke suddenly at looked at the clock. It was almost eight o'clock. She put on a bathrobe and walked down the hall knocking on two doors and opening the third. The bed was empty which was odd because Carol normally had a hard time getting Kate up in the morning.  
  
"Mom," Tess called from the hallway. "Kate is sitting on the bathroom floor, and she doesn't look so good."  
  
Carol opened the bathroom door and saw Kate curled up on the floor. "How long have you been here?" she asked crouching down onto her knees.   
  
"Hours," Kate replied.  
  
"Is it your stomach?" Carol asked feeling Kate's forehead.  
  
"Yeah, I finally stopped puking because there is nothing left for me to puke up," Kate explained.  
  
Tess was still standing in the hallway.   
  
"Tess, go make sure Meg is ready for church," Carol instructed.  
  
Tess left to make sure her sister had not fallen asleep again.   
  
"Are you going to be all right if I leave for a few minutes?" Carol questioned.   
  
Kate nodded and laid her head against the tile floor.   
  
Carol walked into the master bedroom and changed her clothes quickly. She looked in the mirror as she pulled her hair back into a bun. She gave herself a once over and went to Doug's side of the bed.  
  
"Doug," she said running her hands through his hair.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked still half asleep.  
  
"Kate is sick," she told him.  
  
"Sorry, it's my day off," he told her.  
  
"I need you to make sure she gets back to bed," Carol stated.  
  
"Why can't you?" he moaned.  
  
"If I don't leave now, we'll be late for church," she explained. "It isn't my fault you drank so much last night at the benefit."  
  
"I'm getting up," he mumbled. He pulled a pair of sweatpants on over his boxers, and Carol hurried Meg and Tess out the front door.  
  
Doug knocked on the bathroom door before he opened it a crack. Kate was still lying with her face pressed against the floor. Kate looked worse than Doug felt.   
  
"Let me help you get back into bed," Doug said. He helped her off the floor and walked with her to her room. He pulled back the blankets, and Kate climbed into bed.   
  
"I'll go get you glass of water," he told her before leaving the room.   
  
He came back a few minutes later with a plastic cup filled with water and a large bowl. "Take few sips," he said gently.  
  
She sat up and he held the cup for her.   
  
"Try and get some sleep. I'll check on you in a little bit," Doug told her as he started for the door.  
  
"Dad?" Kate called softly.  
  
"Yeah," he answered.  
  
"Are you still mad at me?" she asked.  
  
"No, I was never mad just disappointed," Doug replied.  
  
"Will you stay?" she asked.  
  
"Of course," he said pulling the desk chair closer to the bed.  
  
Kate feel asleep after a few minutes, but Doug didn't leave. He looked at the rows of books on Kate's bookshelf. He picked up "To Kill a Mockingbird" and began to read it. He was in the middle of Mayella's testimony when Carol, Tess, and Meg returned home. He could here Tess and Meg pound up the stairs and into their separate rooms.   
  
"How is she?" Carol asked coming into the room.  
  
"Tired," Doug answered.   
  
"She was up half the night. Probably since before we came home," she responded.  
  
Kate rolled over and opened her eyes.   
  
"How are you feeling?" Carol asked her.  
  
"Crappy," Kate replied.  
  
Carol smiled and told Kate, "I can always count on you to give detailed answers. I'll go make some soup."  
  
Kate sat up and looked at the book in Doug's hands. "That is one of my favorite books," she told him.  
  
"You like to read?" he questioned.  
  
"No, I am really sitting in my room performing witchcraft all afternoon. Yes, I read all time," Kate explained.  
  
"If I tell you something, can you keep it secret?" Doug asked her.  
  
Kate thought for a moment and nodded.  
  
"I haven't even run this by your mom so not a peep. I believed I've mentioned Andrew around here before. Well, I want to have him come stay with us," Doug told her.   
  
"Wait like for good?" Kate questioned.  
  
"Not at first but perhaps," he answered. "So what do you think?"  
  
"It's okay I guess, but where is he going to sleep?" she questioned.  
  
"We can work that out later. I think I'm going to check on your soup," Doug said.  
  
Kate leaned against the wall pulling the covers up over her head.   
  
"Hey," Tess said poking her head into Kate's room, "Can I come in?"  
  
"I guess," Kate told her.  
  
"I'm sorry I tried to take your purse the other day. It's just I wanted…" Tess began to explained.  
  
"Don't worry about. Sorry about your eye," Kate apologized.   
  
"I think I should tell everyone that I got into a fight then maybe people would stop talking about me at school," Tess said.  
  
"They're jealous of you," Kate stated.  
  
"Huh?" Tess questioned.  
  
"The reason people talk about you is because they're jealous," Kate explained.   
  
"Jealous of what?" Tess asked.  
  
"Everything. You have the life everyone wants. You're pretty, you're popular, you're nice… If you tell anyone this, I will kill you, but sometimes I wish I was you," Kate admitted.  
  
"Really? Sometimes I wish I could just do what I wanted and not just what all my friends do. You don't follow anyone, and people still like you," Tess told her.  
  
"Remember in first grade when I would cry because I missed you?" Kate questioned.   
  
"Yeah, and your teacher would have to come get me out of class so you would stop crying," Tess finished. "What ever happened to that?"  
  
"I'll try it next time I want to get out of English," Kate said.   
  
Tess laughed and asked, "Do you want to hang out sometime?"   
  
"Yeah, I'd like that but wait," Kate said. "I'm grounded."  
  
"Well, we could hang out here and watch a movie or something," Tess offered.   
  
"All right, Dad never told me I couldn't watch TV," Kate replied.   
  
"What are you guys doing? Meg asked from the hall.  
  
"Talking about you," Kate told her younger sister.  
  
"You're lying. I thought you weren't supposed to lie anymore?" Meg questioned.   
  
"I just can't lie to Mom and Dad. They didn't say anything about not lying to you," Kate said.  
  
Meg put her hands on her hips and glared.  
  
"Quit pouting and get over here," Tess told her.  
  
Meg came in and flopped on the floor next to Tess.   
  
"What are we doing?" Meg asked.  
  
"Trying to think of something to do," Tess replied.  
  
"I want to play Monopoly," Meg said.  
  
"Kate?" Tess questioned.  
  
"Fine with me," Kate responded.  
  
"Go find the game," Tess told Meg.  
  
Meg walked downstairs and into the family room. She stood in the middle of the room looking around. She then got on her knees and checked for the game under the couch. No luck.   
  
"Mom," Meg called. "Where is the Monopoly game?"   
  
"I put it in the basement," Carol told her.  
  
"Why?" Meg asked.  
  
"No one has played it in years. It was just gathering dust up here," Carol explained.  
  
"Well, we want to play it," Meg said.   
  
"It should be on the shelf," Carol replied. "If you can't reach it, I'm sure your father would be delighted to get it down for you."  
  
"What's that?" Doug asked looking up the newspaper.  
  
"Nothing," Meg told him.  
  
Meg turned on the light and walked down the basement steps. Not too far from the stairs stood a tall shelving unit. Meg looked for the game and spotted it on the shelf just above her head. She reached for it but couldn't get her fingers on it. She stepped on the bottom shelf giving herself the extras height needed to reach the Monopoly game. She took the game in one hand and started to climb down. She lost her footing and fell onto the cement floor. Meg immediately felt a sharp pain running through her arm, and she started to cry. She had pulled one on the shelves to the floor with her causing a loud crash.  
  
"Are you okay?" Carol called.  
  
Meg tried to think of how she should answer. Carol didn't wait long for a reply. She descended down the stairs and found Meg on the floor.   
  
"I fell," Meg told her.  
  
"I can see that. Are you all right?" she questioned.  
  
"My arm hurts," she said.  
  
Carol bent down and saw at once the Meg had broken her arm.   
  
"Can you stand up?" Carol asked.  
  
Meg looked around at her situation and then back at Carol. She began crying harder.   
  
"You're too big for me to carry," Carol told her. "I'll go get Daddy. Will you be all right alone for a little while?"  
  
Meg nodded, and Carol ran upstairs.  
  
Doug looked up at Carol and asked, "Did she knock the shelve over?"  
  
"Yeah, her arm is broken," Carol said. "She doesn't want to walk so you need to carry her."   
  
Doug stood up and returned a few moments later with Meg in his arms. He set her down on the kitchen table and looked at her arm.  
  
"Does it hurt anywhere else?" he asked.   
  
Meg nodded.  
  
"Where?" he questioned.  
  
"Everywhere, but my arm hurts to most," she told him.   
  
"Okay, sit tight for minute," he said.   
  
"Are we both going to go with her?" Carol asked.   
  
"I don't see why not," he replied. "I'll go tell Tess and Kate we're leaving."  
  
"Oh, Kate," Carol said remembering that her daughter wasn't feeling well.  
  
"I'll ask her if she'll be all right," Doug said before leaving the room.   
  
As he left her heard Carol asking Meg where her shoes were.  
  
Upstairs Doug found Tess and Kate in Kate's room.  
  
"Have you seen Meg?" Tess asked him. "We think she got lost."  
  
"No, she's not lost. She fell and broke her arm. You're mom and I are taking her to the hospital. Kate, will you be okay without us here?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, go with Meg," Kate told him.  
  
"We'll be back later," he told them before leaving.   
  
A few hours later Doug, Carol, and Meg returned to find Tess making dinner.  
  
"Look, it's purple," Meg said showing Tess has cast.   
  
"Nice, can I be the first one to sign it?" Tess asked.  
  
"Yeah, can you draw a picture too?" Meg questioned.  
  
"Sure anything you want. Come on up to my room. I have some markers that might work on it," Tess told her.  
  
Meg sprinted towards the stairs.   
  
"Meg, slow down," Carol said automatically.  
  
Meg slowed, and she and Tess made their ways upstairs.   
  
"I'll go check on Kate if you'll try to figure out what to do with Tess' concoction," Carol said to Doug.   
  
"Throw down the sink," he answered.  
  
She looked at him and said, "Always the comedian."

* * *

Note for Banana Belle  
  
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I really love this story, and I hope you do to. I have stated working on a sequel, but I'm not sure when it will be ready to post. I just started a new Summerland story, and I want to work on it for awhile. Let me know what you thought of the whole thing or just the last chapter. For some reason stupid fanfiction.net didn't put this story in the right spot. Jerks. So I decided to edit and post this chapter again. Until the sequel, this is Banana Belle signing off. 


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